Locations
On 6 September 2022, Fieldfisher will welcome delegates from around the world to a daylong event at its London headquarters, Riverbank House.
This is to prepare for two days of collegial discussions on policymaking at the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership '22 on 7 and 8 September in the Sheldonian Theatre.
Graeme Nuttall OBE, Fieldfisher partner and employee ownership expert has had a leading role in organising both this Pre-Symposium Event and the Oxford Symposium.
James Bonham, President of the U.S. based Employee Ownership Foundation, and Graeme Nuttall will welcome delegates. The Pre-Symposium Event will predominantly take the form of overviews of the legal and tax aspects of employee share ownership and employee ownership in the UK, from Fieldfisher Partner Mark Gearing and Solicitor Jessica Kilkelly, and in the USA, from Ken Serwinski, Chairman and co-Founder of Prairie Capital Advisors.
There will be insights into pensions law from Fieldfisher Director Andrew Patten and employment law from Fieldfisher Partner Nicholas Thorpe, and their impact on establishing and maintaining employee-owned companies. Fieldfisher partners Judge Nicholas Thompsell and George Gillham will comment respectively on unfair prejudice and valuation issues and the main types of UK tax litigation.
In addition, delegates will hear about how employee ownership works in practice from Lizi Cushen and Craig Robertson, employee trustee directors, and Peter Morris, managing director, of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, a company majority owned by an employee ownership trust and Cindy Turcot, Chief Executive Officer of Gardener's Supply Company, a company 100% owned by an employee stock ownership plan.
Finally, two UK Government officials, one from HM Treasury and one from HM Revenue & Customs, will draw the day to a close with a presentation on the UK Government's support for employee ownership.
The Pre-Symposium Event and the Oxford Symposium are learning and collaboration opportunities for employee ownership policymakers, with some 60 experts attending over the course of the three days: thought leaders, stakeholders, practitioners and government officials in the international employee ownership community. Their purpose is to provide a space for experts to get together and share experiences, thoughts and learnings as well as explore major issues concerning employee ownership, including obstacles to the growth of employee ownership.
This year's focus is on exploring financial and other barriers to the formation and operation of forms of shared capitalism, such as the employee stock ownership plan, which are growing and thriving in countries around the world including the USA and the UK.
Graeme Nuttall, OBE said: "Fieldfisher is thrilled to host this Pre-Symposium Event at our offices in Riverbank House. This event helps prepare delegates for two days of collegial discussions in Oxford. It ensures we capitalise on this opportunity for employee ownership policymakers from across the world to share ideas and best practice. Hosting and helping organise this event demonstrates Fieldfisher's leading role in developing and advancing employee ownership policies in the UK and internationally".
“We are truly grateful to Graeme Nuttall and the partners of Fieldfisher for putting on this outstanding briefing for the international delegations of policy makers,” said James Bonham, President of the Employee Ownership Foundation and the lead financial sponsor of the Oxford Symposium. “The expertise at Fieldfisher is world class and this opportunity will prove invaluable to the symposium participants.”
The three Symposium organisers (the Employee Ownership Foundation, Center on Business and Poverty and Fieldfisher) welcome all delegates and speakers to the Pre-Symposium Event, which Fieldfisher looks forward to hosting at its offices.
Employee Ownership Foundation
Since its founding in 1991, the Washington, DC headquartered Employee Ownership Foundation has operated in pursuit of a single overarching goal: to help more individuals become employee owners. The Foundation has raised and donated millions of dollars to collect data used by academics, encourage objective research, and to facilitate dialogue about employee ownership between thought leaders. Governed by a national 50-person board of trustees and an eight-person executive committee, the Foundation is recognised by the Internal Revenue Service as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation.
Website: https://employeeownershipfoundation.org/
The Center on Business and Poverty
The Center on Business and Poverty has offices in Franklin, TN and Oxford, England. It supports businesses that embody the practice of participatory capitalism. The Center works with companies that create good jobs, and does so through partnerships with firms, as well as non-profits and individuals. Since 2005, the Center has worked in more than 37 US States and has focused international efforts in India, China, Sri Lanka, Mexico and the UK. The Center for Business and Poverty is a recognised 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Website: https://centeronbusinessandpoverty.com/
For further information please contact Graeme Nuttall OBE, Partner, Employee Ownership Solutions at Fieldfisher.